mBot not powering up need urgent help! DD's bday tomorrow!

#1

I just got a new mBot kit and after going through the assembly when I power it on, it does not light up. After a few frustrating hours, I was able to get it to work when wired to the computer through USB. However battery mode does not work. I have verified that the battery pack is good. I even tried with another brand new mBot but it is the same problem. What am I doing wrong?

I had got this for my daughter’s bday and now does not even work.

#2

Do you have (or know someone who has) a voltage meter?
when you have tested 2 mBot’s (2 defective boards would be strange)
when you measure the battery pack (with 4 AA’s) you + (red) to center and - (black) to the side of the plug you should measure a voltage of 4.8 and 6 volts depending if you are using re-chargeable batteries
if this is all OK you could remove all screws (build diagram in reverse) so you only have a board and the battery pack and place it on a non conducting surface and reconnect the battery and test again.

my 2 cents

#3

Wow, that’s a new one. If the battery pack is good, I’d guess there is either a problem with the wiring (check the barrel connector with a multimeter) or the mCore board. Be sure to cc @tec_support to get a faster response.

#4

Thanks everyone for the responses, looks like a faulty wire from the battery pack. Overall not a pleasant experience, I am returning both these kits and would may be buy at a later stage

#5

Hi. Met with the manufacturer in HK in October and found it to be easier to buy the mBot 1.1 locally in Canada. Had the same experience with the kit supplied battery pack. Not fun when it is 8:45 PM and trying to find a solution. We are manufacturers of electronic hardware for the PC market so had easy access to the tools required to fix the issues. In our opinion (which we have relayed to the mfr) is that the battery pack should be changed to a more reliable style. The contacts for both legs of the wire were not making connection to the actual seated batteries. We ended up cutting the wires and then soldering directly to the required contacts on the holder. Next, found that the + and - leads are press fit crimped for the connections. This is another fail. Highly recommend that the mfr seek another quality supplier for the battery holders. For us, our DC barrel jack was longer than the female jack on the controller board. That is, the temptation is there to keep on pushing into the DC jack till we can no longer see the male plug. The DC jack should be paired correctly to be flush but the sourcing of this battery pack plug is longer than need be. This should also be fixed for future customers. Overall, we like the kit and considering to make custom hardware for mBot kit owners. Under review.

Wish to update to state that once we raised this battery holder issue - the local reseller (Robotshop) promptly couriered out a replacement. Hoping the replacement is fine but our re-soldered battery holder is working fine. Also suggest for you to consider to pickup a low cost digital meter (under $15 from many vendors in China with free shipping) to assist in debugging future similar issues. The tool will be very handy for voltage checks, etc.

#6

Hi Mon2,

Thanks for your advices, your suggestions will help us keep improving.

Best Regards!

#7